Storefront City Chicago

Concerning Strange Devices from the Distant West

WHAT: Concerning Strange Devices from the Distant West (Theater)
WHEN: January 15 – April 14, 2013 (Previews from January 15-23)
WHERE: TimeLine Theatre Company (615 W. Wellington Ave.)
RUN TIME: 90 minutes, no intermission
HOST: TimeLine Theatre Company

OUR RATING: Chance It!

(timelinetheatre.com)

Pack your bags and get ready to travel from East to West and across time in the Midwest Premiere of Naomi Iizuka’s Concerning Strange Devices from the Distant West, now playing at TimeLine Theatre Company in Lakeview East.

We visited TimeLine last season for Enron and were pretty impressed. Their mission is to present stories inspired by history that connect with the social and political issues of today. Concerning Strange Devices definitely hits this target, but we were generally more impressed by TimeLine’s production than by Iizuka’s script.

Last night we attended the first preview performance, so please take this review with a grain of salt. As we both know well, until their opening night on January 24th, this piece is still a work in progress, so a lot could change before you set foot in director Lisa Portes’ vision.

Rebecca Spence as Isabel Hewlett. (timelinetheatre.com)

And what a vision it is. As soon as you walk into the lobby you are subsumed within a fascinating, interactive and educational foray into the history of Japanese tattoos and photography with a well-thought out lobby display designed by Dina Spoerl. It’s small, but it sure packs its share of punches.

After milling about the lobby you are welcomed with open arms into the performance space through a hyper-surreal tunnel of beautiful giant Japanese paper lanterns and into an Alley-configuration theatre with a projection screen puzzle on the opposite wall.

The play focuses on several characters across the span of the 19th century to the present day. The central theme is the camera, which captures both the real and imaginary, and blurs the line between the two. In the late 1800s, an American woman, Isabel Hewlett (Rebecca Spence), discovers the magic of Japan through the camera of photographer Adolfo Farsari (Michael McKeogh). In the present day, a collector of rare photographs (also McKeogh) travels to Japan to negotiate a deal for the very same Farsari photos. Except, this isn’t the whole story, but we shall not say more.

Playwright Naomi Iizuka (timelinetheatre.com)

Adam: I was most impressed by the design of the set and lighting, which allowed one to enter the world of the production as a member, rather than a spectator. I was also extremely happy with most performances, although Tiffany Villarin (as A Woman in a Kimono, A Servant Girl and Kiku) tended to be weaker than her co-stars. While the production was held together well, my biggest concern is the script. Iizuka creates jumpy, underdeveloped dialogue that sounds oddly like a devised piece from a college than a professionally written piece of theatre. She also seems to have a tenuous grasp of the history surrounding the production (i.e. Farsari’s sexuality), as well as the neurological underpinnings of sight.

That being said, this does not belittle the production itself, and TimeLine does an admirable job of bringing seriously flawed material to life through impeccable line delivery and world creation. It is a shame that TimeLine chose to give Iizuka’s shaky script a go, however, when so many more worthy playwrights remain unproduced.

Director Lisa Portes (timelinetheatre.com)

Alicia: What really made this show: Spence’s star performance, Mike Tutaj’s dazzling projection design, Portes’ surreal/fantastical/sexy transitions, and the fact that pieces of the lobby infiltrated the performance space. This team really thought about the audience experience.

As the space is so intimate, even the smallest details are important, and while Julia Eberhardt’s props capitalized on this with their intricacies, scenic designer Brian Sidney Bembridge’s flooring and Costume Designer Janice Pytel’s take on Hewlett’s Victorian dress cheapened the experience. However, major kudos to them all for being able to transition back and forth and tackle this multifaceted world.

(timelinetheatre.com)

Final thoughts: For all our criticism of the production, it must be remembered that it is only currently in previews and will be until January 23. We expect that, as more runs are completed, the show will tighten and become even more enjoyable to watch.

In a way, it is simply worth going to see the amazing design elements, that allow you to transition from a little Japanese camera shop in the 1880s to a chic high-rise bar in modern Tokyo with effortless finesse.

P.S.: For examples of the photographs taken by Farsari, check out the authoritative and complete Photography in Japan 1853-1912

A word of warning: this production is not appropriate for children.